William l



(No Model.)

WrL. HUNT. Gymnastic Projector. N0. 236,225. Patented Jan. 4,1881.

v MPEJERS, PuomuTlioGluPn-IER, wAsHlNGTpN. D C.

UNITED STATES,

ATENI FFICE.

GYMNASTIC PROJECTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 236,225, dated January4, 1881. Application filed August 19, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM L. HUNT, of Port Hope, in the county ofDurham and Dominion of Canada, have invented an Improvement in GymnasticProjectors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to mechanism designed to project a gymnast or otherperformer into the air and propel him to a considerable distance; and myinvention consists, essentially, of a lever provided with a rigidfulcrum and carrying; a support for the gymnast on the longer end ofsame, and asprin g or power apparatus, or its equivalent, attached toand operating the lever in such a manner that it is suddenly oscillatedwith great force to project the performer into and throughmhe air.

My invention further consists in the construction of minor details, allof which are fully set forth in the following specification, shown inthe accompanying drawings, and referred to in the appended claims.

Heretofore I have projected a performer direct from the spring-trap; butI find that although it is eifective for short distances it will notthrow the gymnast to a sufficient distance for all performances. Theobject of this invention is to overcome this objection to my oldapparatus, for by the aid of the lever I can cause a gymnast to beprojected to a great distance with case.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of apparatus embodying init my invention. Fig. 2 is a modified form of same. Fig. 3 is aperspective view of the latching mechanism. Fig. 4 is a section oflatching mechanism especiallyadapted to apparatus shown in Fig. 2. Fig.5 is a perspective View of trigger-bar of same. Fig. 6 is'another formof latching mechanism.

A is the oscillating lever, and is supported in bearings B, held rigidby guy-ropes b, or other equivalent means. Upon the longer end of thelever is located a platform, 0, upon which the gymnast or otherperformer to be projected rests, and the opposite or shorter end, at D,is attached to one end of the rope or bar E, the other end of which isconnected with the spring apparatus F. The spring apparatus consists ofa frame working on a pivot and carrying a number of springs the upperends of which are secured to a plate, which, in turn, is secured to therope E. The frame consists of the upper and lower heads, G and K,connected together by braces, and provided with guideways 9. The frameis pivoted at L to a baseplate, M, whichis secured to the floor orground. The end of the rope E is attached to a ringpiece,-H, and this,in turn, is secured to the plate I, provided with arms 73, which move inthe guideways 9. To the lower head, K, is secured spring J, of rubber orother suitable material. the upper ends of which are attached to theplate I. The rope E moves between two idler grooved rolls, Q, secured toand carried by the upper head, G. Secured to the head G and projectingdownward is a bracket, 0, and pivoted to this bracket, at n, is a lever,N. Pivoted at p to the head G, and directly opposite the bracket 0, is aparallel-armed curved lever, P, carrying a cross-piece, p, and to thebottom or other convenient part is attached cord 19, which is connectedto the lever P. This latching mechanism is shown in Fig. 3.

In operating, the apparatus is worked as follows: The long end of thearm of the lever A is pulled down, thereby raising plate I in the frameand putting the springs J under tension, as shown in Fig. 1. Then thelever N is passed through the ring H, and the end is rested upon thecross-piece p of the curved lever P, thereby preventing the springspulling down the plate I and oscillating the lever until the latch isopened. To prevent any possibility of the apparatus being operatedbefore its time the operating-lever P is secured by a catch, 9. When thegymnast or other performer has taken his position on the platform orsupport 0, as shown in Fig. 2, the operator moves the lever- P out, and,through the agency of the cord 19 the curved lever P is withdrawnsufficiently to allow the lever N to fall, the end of which is guided bythe lower arms of the curved lever, and the plate I bein g released, thesprings J causeit to be pulled down quickly, causing thelever A to beoscillated, as desired. After operation the apparatus is in the positionshown in.dotted lines.

During the operation the frame of the power apparatus oscillates uponthe pivot L, and the movement of the pivot or pin D to its lowestposition is not sufficient to allow the plate I to strike the lowerhead, K.

In place of the catch or latching mechanism just described, that shownin Fi Gmay he used. It consists of a Y-shaped piece, secured to theplate I, and attached to the arms of this piece are bell-crank levers,it, which work on pivots w, and secured to the lower or longer arm ofone of these levers w is a bar, Y, to the other end of which is fastened a cord, \Vhen the plate I is pushed up the levers w are opened, andare then closed over a ring-piece, X, which is secured to the upperhead, G, and the shorter arms of the levers w are kept closed byinserting the bar Y between the ends of the longer arms, as shown. Tooperate the apparatus the cord y is pulled, moving the pieceY away fromthe lever 10 at one side, and the pressure immediately causes theshorter arms of the levers to fiy open, allowing the plate I to descend.This latch would be arranged slightly to one side of the cord E.

The apparatus heretofore described is used when there is plenty of roomand the oscillating or projecting lever is of the first order, or withthe fulcrum in the middle. In some cases it is advisable to make thelover of the third order, or with the fulcrum at the end and the powerin the middle, and to do this a slight modification of the apparatus isnecessary. This is shown in Fig. 2, in which A is the lever of the thirdorder, and is pivoted at B. The power is applied at I), and the springor power apparatus F is substantially the same as that alreadydescribed, except that the springs J are secured to the upper head, K,instead of the lower head, and instead of a rope a rigid bar, T, isrequired to operate the lever A. The whole may be inclosed in a suitablebox or frame, It. Alatching mechanism, S, more especially adapted tothis form of apparatus, is shown in Figs. 2, 4, and 5, in which thelower head, K, is provided with a shoe, U, having a square hole therein,firmly secured to it, and the spring-plate I has secured to it acorresponding square foot, T, which fits into the hole in the shoe.\Vhen these two are fitted together a hole is bored through them, thecenter of which is on one of their sides of contact, half of the hole abeing in the shoe U and the other half, t, be ing in the foot. Throughthis holeis inserted a shaft or trigger-bar, V, provided with a slot orflattened part, 71, in length equal to the width of the foot. Vhen thisbar or shaft is turned, as shown in Fig. 4, thelatch is closed; but uponits being turned to the left, or when the solid part lies within theshoe, then the latch is free, and the foot is withdrawn from the shoe bythe springs. To prevent concussion, a rubber cushion, I, or otherequivalent device, may be secured to the plate I to strike the head K.

I do not confine myself to the particular form of apparatus, for myinvention consists, broadly, in operating a lever by any power so as tothrow a gymnast to a great distance through the air. I might use otherpowers besides rubber springs, but I prefer them.

By this apparatus the gymnast is thrown through the air to a greatdistance, but can, at will,turn a somersault or come to the ground inany desired position by peculiar movements of the body, known to allgymnasts.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Apparatus to project a gymnast or other performer into and throughthe air, consisting of an oscillating lever and mechanism to cause suchlever to be oscillated with force, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

2. Apparatus to project a gymnast or other performer into and throughthe air, consisting of an oscillating lever, in combination with springsor their equivalent to cause such lever to oscillate, and a catchorlatching mechanism to hold theleverdown againstthe pressure of thesprings, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. Apparatus to project a gymnast or other performer into and throughthe air, consisting of mechanism to cause the gymnast to be projected bya movement of the sul'iportingplatform or support, which movement shallbe greater than the movement developed in the spring or power apparatus,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

4:. In apparatus to project a gymnast or other performer into andthrough the air, the lever A, in combination with a power apparatus, F,pivoted at L, means to connect the power developed with the lever tooscillate the same, and a catch or latching mechanism to control theoperation of the power, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. Apparatus to project a gymnast or other performer into and throughthe air, consisting of ring II, bracket 0, lever N, curved levers 1?,provided with cross-piece p, and cord 12', or its equivalent,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

(3. Apparatus to project a gyn'mast or other performer into and throughthe air, consisting of frame It, lever A, having a fulcrum at B, bar orrod T, cushion I, mechanism to project the rod toward the lever, and alatching mechanism to hold the bar in place until it is to be projected,all constructed substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony of which invention I hereunto set my hand.

WM. L. HUNT.

Witnesses:

G. F. PARISH, J. H. Foxwonrnr.

